Built-in removable valve



-liatented July 17, 1928.

f UNTTED STATES f 1,677,794 PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP IUELLER, ROBERT H. MUELLER; AND WILLIAM J.` MIX, F DECATUR, ILLI-v NGIS, ASSIGNORS'TO ADOLPH MUELLER, TRUSTEE, 0F DEGATUR, ILLINOIS.

BUILT-IN REMOVAIBLE VALVE.

Application ated November 20, 1926. Serial No. 149,741..

The present invention relates to improvef ments in valves, particularly'of the type designed for use with builtin bath fixtures.

Considerable trouble has been experienced with valve devices of built-in bath lixtures in which the valve seats are commonly located within, or in rear or', a wall so that it is quite diihcult to have access thereto for repairing or replacing worn parts.

By the present invention means are' provided whereby the valve seat and cooperating valve of such a fixture may be readily removed as a unit, and, further, means are provided whereby the removal ot one of a 18 series of valves of such a fixture will not necessarily render the ent-ire fixture temporarily useless.

With the foregoing and other objects 1n' view, the invention consists in the construcv tion and arrangement of parts that will be hereinafter more particularly described, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawin in which igure 1 is a more or less diagrammatic View ci a"`builtin bath xture containing an embodiment Olithe present invention.

Figure 2 is a 'sectional view, on an enlarged scale, through one of' the improved valve structures.

Figure 3 is a view of the valve devices detached from the body of the valve.

Figure 4 is a section substantially on the line 4.-4 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, the bath fixture illustrated comprises hot and cold water supply pipes 1,2, a tub spout 3, and a supply pipe 4, for a shower head, not shown.

The supply of Water to the tub spout 3 is, as usual, controlled by valves 5, 6, while the low of water to the shower head supply pipe 4 is controlled by similar valves '7,1 8.

It will be understood thatl all ot' these control valves` maybe of the construction specifically illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4, each comprising a body provided w1th suitable inlet and outlet ports and having a lateral extension 10, which, as shown, extends outward slightly beyond the face of the wall 11, in which the valve is supported. ,l

As shown, the opening inthe wall 1.1, within which the -7alve body is positioned, -or through which the lateral extension 10 thereof projects, is of slightly greater diam eter than said, lateral extension, although, if

preferred, the body of the wall may closely surround said extension. l I

Within the body of the valve a partition 12 separates the inlet and outlet ports, in the usual manner, a suitable aperture being :formed in said partition through which coniinteriorly with a suitable valve seat l5 with which is adapted to cooperate a valve 16, the stem 17 of which extends outward through the valve casing and thesurrounding lateral extension 10 of the body of the valve.

Ports 18 are provided in the wall of the Valve casing 14, and when the valve l5 is properly adjusted water is permitted to flow from the inlet port of 'the ivalve body through the opening in the partit-ion 12 and said ports to the outlet port yof the valve bodyin the ordinary manner.

Assshown, the/valve stem 17 is provided witha threaded section 2O that enga es a suitable thread formed interiorly ot the valve casing, and at its outer end said valve stem is provided with an ordinary removable handle` 21. To prevent leakage past the valvestem a suitable packing 25 is provided, the same being positionedA between a washer 26 that cooperates with a seat formed on the vinner face of the Wall of the casing 14 and a similar washer 27 which is adjustably held in position by a socketed plug 28, which is screwed into the outer end of the casing 14, being held in any adjusted position by the threaded joint 29.

Adjacent its outer end the valve casing is provided with an exteriorly knurled section 30 by which it may be engaged to permit its being rotated to disengage itV from the partition 12 wheny it is desired to withdraw the same from' ,ne body of the valve.

A similar knurled surface 31 is preferably provided on the plug 28 to assist any adjustmentof this element to properly compress they packing 25, as ywill be obvious.

When the valve casing 14 is engaged with the partition 12' in the valve body, it is accurately centered held in proper axial rf,- lation to the lateral extension 10 by an annular rib 40 that extends inward from the and valve casing,

wall ofsaideextension of the valve body.

lThe 'outer face of this rib 40 constitutes a lsurrounds the valve stem 17 and has a tubular portion 47 engaging a thread within the socket at the outer .end of the aforesaid plug 28. f 'f It is believed' thatthe operation of the several parts will be readily understood from the foregoing description in connection with the drawing. As shown, the valve casing and valve therein may be detached as a unit from the valve body without requiring any relative movement between the same and its associated supply and delivery pipes.

The parts being assembled as shown in Figure 2, if it becomes necessary to have access to the valve 16 or the seat 15 therefor within the valve casing it is only necessary.

to detach the handle 21 and escutcheon cap 46 when the escutcheon may be removed.

' rl`his exposes the "securing sleeve 4239which can be easily disconnected and then by engaging the knurled section 30 ofthe valve vcasing 14, the latter. can be unscrewed from the partition 12 in the valve body and bodily withdrawn, as shown in Figure 8.

In case it is not practicable to immediately restore the valve casing after such removal, and yet be desired to use the iiXture of which the valveJ forms a part, it is onlyv necessary to screw 'a suitable pipe nipple into the lateral extension of the valve body and insert a plug therein to prevent escape of water. Inf other ,words, the removal of one of the valves of such a fixture as is diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 1, when the valves are constructed in accordance with the 'present invention, does not render tbe entire :fixture useless.

Another important feature or advantage 'secured by the present invention is that in installing the fixture all of the parts, with the" exception of the bodily removable valve casing 14 and parts therein, may be properly assembled and by substituting suitabl'nipyples as above described, tested before theic` tual valve structures are themselves inserted. Thisavods any ydanger ofsuehl parts being stolen asis of frequent occurrence in plumbing installations. y j

It will be understood, of course, that in the\ drawing the parts are shown more or less conventionally, and that there "can, be

modification as tosome of the details with out departing from the invention.

Having thus described=the invention, what is claimed as new is l. A plumbing fixture comprising a` valve body provided with inlet and outlet ports and an interior partition between said ports f and having a threaded aperture formed therein, 'a valve casing provided with a valve seat and a threaded section engaging the thread of said aperture in the partition in the valve body, said casing` being provided between its outer end and the section engaging the partition with a lateral port and between said port and its outer end with an yinternal thread, means providing a iuid tight joint between the valve body and said casing, and a valve adapted to cooperate with the valve seat and having its stem extending through tlie outer end of the casing and provided with a compression thread .engaging said interior thread in the casing, whereby the valve easing and valve may be removed from the body as a unit, for the purpose described.

2. A plumbing fixture comprising a valve body provided with inlet and outlet ports and having a lateral-extension that projects therefrom in pesition to be received in an .opening in a wall, thebvalve body being provided with-an interior partition extending transversely of said lateral extension and separating said inlet andV outlet ports, a valve casing detachably supported within the lateral extension of the valve body and communicating with an opening in said parformed in the wall of the casing. between.

said interior thread and the valve seat, an annular rib extending inward from the lateral extension of the valve body, packing resting on said ribn and forming a iluid tight joint between the said extension of the valve body and said casing, an adjustable. sleeve for maintaining said packing under" compression, a valve adapted to coopegate with the seat in the casing and having its stem extending beyond the outer end of the casing and provided with a compression thread engaging the thread' in the casing, and means for maintaining a fliiid tight joint between the valve stem and casing,zthe parts being so arranged that the valve casing and valve may be readily removed as a unit from the valvebody.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands;

PHILIP ivIUELLEn. ROBERT II. MUELLER. WILLIAM J. MIX.

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